Re: FirstGov.gov - Official website for searching the U.S. Government

January 4, 2001

Thanks so much, Barbara! I've printed out the page and will research the

individual entries when I have a few minutes.

It all brings up an interesting point, however. I assume we are not alone in

that we lost out primary income when Bob could no longer work. (Or are we the

only ones with this illness who are not independently wealthy?) The loss of

income coupled with increased medical expenses must be problematic for many. We

are o.k. at present - he is receiving Social Security, some retirement from IBM

Corporation and I am working full time. But, when/if I need to stop working

(which may not be far off), we will have a genuine concern, what with mortgage

payments, etc., etc.,

How do you who stay home full-time cope/supplement? You must be quite creative

- and must spend considerable time sorting through much red tape re. medical

authorization/utilization. I'm considering working from home - but not sure

what the compensation level would be. College degrees and much business

experience aren't necessarily virtues that one can utilize from home (luckily,

I'm quite proficient on the computer, so might be able to use these skills.)

I've been curious about this for some time - you all sound like you're doing

just fine, and thought you could perhaps offer some tips (like the information

on Veteran's benefits, etc.) Thanks for any input - Elaine

>>> Barbara 01/04/01 11:39AM >>>

Elaine, here is a page for you to follow up on. Hope it helps. Ralph was

never in the military service so I do not know anything except what I

read.

Have a great day. It is 61' in Arlington, Texas right now. Plenty of

sunshine and the snow with ice has cleared away.

Barb

http://www.FirstGov.gov/fedsearch2/index.jsp?db=www & mt=all & mw=Veterans+benefits

January 4, 2001

Elaine,

I think income is a problem for many people. My husband, Rob, was

diagnosed at age 51 and stopped working at that age. He currently

receives social security disability income as well as income from two

disability insurance policies - one private one that he took out

years ago and one that was paid by his employer. I quit my job (as

CFO of a software company) last March, at age 50. I did this NOT

because Rob needs full time care (he doesn't yet) but because I

wanted to spend time with him and do some fun things before he became

too ill. Because I left my job recently, we are paying for group

medical insurance through COBRA. In August, when COBRA expires, we

will purchase a medicare supplement for Rob and I will get my own

private pay policy.

We are fortunate. We both had executive level, well paying jobs, and

we invested wisely. But even at that, we would have a problem if not

for disability income. I tell EVERYONE I know to be sure they have

adequate disability insurance. It's at least as important, if not

more so, than life insurance. It's very hard to convince young

people that they should bother to be insured for disability, but it

is so important. As we all know, the last thing you want to worry

about when facing a long term degenerative illness like this is

money! And it can happen to ANYONE, as the diverse members on this

list can attest.

Was Bob employed when his illness was diagnosed? Was he covered by

any type of disability policy? If so, file a claim. If he's

receiving SSDI, there shouldn't be a problem in collecting. (I

say " shouldn't " because one of Rob's policies gave us a hard time -

we ultimately had to hire a lawyer and threaten to sue, but they are

paying now.) Also, if there are any life insurance policies that you

are paying for, check to see if they have a " wavier of premium "

clause in the event of disability. If so, bu sure to contact them

and tell them Bob is disabled. You will be able to retain the

coverage, but not pay any premiums. Some life insurance policies will

actually pay out the death benefit before the insured dies, if you

can prove that the illness is terminal. I think the person has to be

pretty far along for that, though. Anyway, check all your insurance

policies, and read the fine print. You may find soemthing helpful.

Carol & Rob (who are off to Aruba for a week on Saturday, to escape

the cold and snow of Lexington)

> Thanks so much, Barbara! I've printed out the page and will

research the individual entries when I have a few minutes.

>

> It all brings up an interesting point, however. I assume we are

not alone in that we lost out primary income when Bob could no longer

work. (Or are we the only ones with this illness who are not

independently wealthy?) The loss of income coupled with increased

medical expenses must be problematic for many. We are o.k. at

present - he is receiving Social Security, some retirement from IBM

Corporation and I am working full time. But, when/if I need to stop

working (which may not be far off), we will have a genuine concern,

what with mortgage payments, etc., etc.,

>

> How do you who stay home full-time cope/supplement? You must be

quite creative - and must spend considerable time sorting through

much red tape re. medical authorization/utilization. I'm considering

working from home - but not sure what the compensation level would

be. College degrees and much business experience aren't necessarily

virtues that one can utilize from home (luckily, I'm quite proficient

on the computer, so might be able to use these skills.)

>

> I've been curious about this for some time - you all sound like

you're doing just fine, and thought you could perhaps offer some tips

(like the information on Veteran's benefits, etc.) Thanks for any

input - Elaine

>

> >>> Barbara <ralsk@f...> 01/04/01 11:39AM >>>

> Elaine, here is a page for you to follow up on. Hope it helps.

Ralph was

> never in the military service so I do not know anything except what

I

> read.

>

> Have a great day. It is 61' in Arlington, Texas right now. Plenty of

> sunshine and the snow with ice has cleared away.

>

> Barb

> http://www.FirstGov.gov/fedsearch2/index.jsp?

db=www & mt=all & mw=Veterans+benefits

>

January 4, 2001

Elaine,

If Bob becomes too disabled there are some possible solutions. Medicaid would

take his benefits at some point and keep him in a nursing home. The other would

be to set up some sort of business at home. My daughter works for a fairly

large computer consulting firm (37 employees) and works out of a home office.

She does all their accounting and benefits work. It pays very well, but here

there are tons of jobs like that. In fact, they hope to have 20% of the people

in this area working at least 2 days a week out of their home by 2005. Our

roads and tranportation

system are overloaded now.

I was able to retire early on a buyout and Charlotte has SSDI. I then worked

for another 4 years part time. Since we still have a mortgage, we are doing

okay, but are not rich. Several people seem to be struggling.

There are other government programs depending on your salaries. But we have a

high enough income that we are not elgible. He will be elgible for Medicre

after 2 years under SSDI. That will help with medical costs. They are talking

about removing the two year wait for Medicare.

Take care, Bill and Charlotte

January 4, 2001

Thanks for your input!

In our case, as in many others, I am sure, current level of income is a problem

to qualify for much assistance - this is a mixed blessing, isn't it? Bob did

receive disability until he was 65 - he is now 66 (8 years my senior), so only

receives his social security benefit. I was very surprised that disability

stopped - was not " savvy " about the way this worked. At any rate, I may start

looking into a business from home. Fortunately, I work at UC Santa Barbara

which is only three or four minutes from our place.

We are taking more frequent " short " trips (three day-weekends) while we still

can. Mainly to Cambria (San Simeon - Hearst Castle area). We found a place we

love to stay right on the ocean (we only live about a half-mile from the ocean

but can't SEE it from the house!) I find Bob does better when he's completely

relaxed - we watch the sunsets, take beautiful drives, watch movies. Have you

found this to be true with relaxation?

Thanks, again, each of you.

Elaine Grimmesey

>>> Werre 01/04/01 02:46PM >>>

Elaine,

If Bob becomes too disabled there are some possible solutions. Medicaid would

take his benefits at some point and keep him in a nursing home. The other would

be to set up some sort of business at home. My daughter works for a fairly

large computer consulting firm (37 employees) and works out of a home office.

She does all their accounting and benefits work. It pays very well, but here

there are tons of jobs like that. In fact, they hope to have 20% of the people

in this area working at least 2 days a week out of their home by 2005. Our

roads and tranportation

system are overloaded now.

I was able to retire early on a buyout and Charlotte has SSDI. I then worked

for another 4 years part time. Since we still have a mortgage, we are doing

okay, but are not rich. Several people seem to be struggling.

There are other government programs depending on your salaries. But we have a

high enough income that we are not elgible. He will be elgible for Medicre

after 2 years under SSDI. That will help with medical costs. They are talking

about removing the two year wait for Medicare.

Take care, Bill and Charlotte

January 4, 2001

Greetings Carol!

You noted:

> I tell EVERYONE I know to be sure they have adequate

> disability insurance. It's at least as important, if not more

> so, than life insurance. ...

Though I'm not using it yet, I always purchased Long Term Disability (LTD)

and far more life insurance than most of my peers. However, I wanted to be

certain that should anything happen, it would not ruin my family. This was

especially true since my wife does not work.

Interestingly, some companies are now offering long term disability

dependant care health insurance (or other words to that effect). For

example, if I need to go onto LTD, then once the short term disability

period ends, my wife and children would still be covered ... without having

to find private insurance.

Just a thought for others that can still make adjustments.

Regards,

=jbf=

B. Fisher

January 4, 2001

We aare fom Tn, but did travel to San Simeon in the spring. We stayed in a

motel/hotel right on the beach, just barely south of the actual San Simeon.

They had fireplaces in the room and were very kind to us with our special

needs. I can't remember the name, but it was a lovely place.

Teh people at the Hearst Castle were very helpful as well. Even though we

could not go on the big tours, we did take a tour for hanidcapped and our

gide was most helpful. The view from that home was beautiful. Even though

the home itself is five miles from the ocean, the home site is so high in

the mountains, that the ocean is clearly a beautiful site.

Marilyn in TN

----------

>

>To: <shydrageregroups>

>Subject: Re: FirstGov.gov - Official website for searching the U.S.

Government

>Date: Thu, Jan 4, 2001, 6:22 PM

>

>Thanks for your input!

>

>In our case, as in many others, I am sure, current level of income is a

>problem to qualify for much assistance - this is a mixed blessing, isn't

>it? Bob did receive disability until he was 65 - he is now 66 (8 years my

>senior), so only receives his social security benefit. I was very

>surprised that disability stopped - was not " savvy " about the way this

>worked. At any rate, I may start looking into a business from home.

>Fortunately, I work at UC Santa Barbara which is only three or four minutes

>from our place.

>

>We are taking more frequent " short " trips (three day-weekends) while we

>still can. Mainly to Cambria (San Simeon - Hearst Castle area). We found

>a place we love to stay right on the ocean (we only live about a half-mile

>from the ocean but can't SEE it from the house!) I find Bob does better

>when he's completely relaxed - we watch the sunsets, take beautiful drives,

>watch movies. Have you found this to be true with relaxation?

>

>Thanks, again, each of you.

>

>Elaine Grimmesey

>

>>>> Werre 01/04/01 02:46PM >>>

>Elaine,

>

>If Bob becomes too disabled there are some possible solutions. Medicaid

>would take his benefits at some point and keep him in a nursing home. The

>other would be to set up some sort of business at home. My daughter works

>for a fairly large computer consulting firm (37 employees) and works out of

>a home office. She does all their accounting and benefits work. It pays

>very well, but here there are tons of jobs like that. In fact, they hope

>to have 20% of the people in this area working at least 2 days a week out

>of their home by 2005. Our roads and tranportation

>system are overloaded now.

>

>I was able to retire early on a buyout and Charlotte has SSDI. I then

>worked for another 4 years part time. Since we still have a mortgage, we

>are doing okay, but are not rich. Several people seem to be struggling.

>

>There are other government programs depending on your salaries. But we

>have a high enough income that we are not elgible. He will be elgible for

>Medicre after 2 years under SSDI. That will help with medical costs. They

>are talking about removing the two year wait for Medicare.

>

>Take care, Bill and Charlotte

>

January 4, 2001

Elaine,

What you say about relaxation is certianly true for Rob also. We

have a summer home on Nantucket Island (off the coast of Cape Cod),

and Rob is always much more relaxed and comfortable there. There is

something relaxing in an almost primal way about the ocean!

Carol & Rob

> Thanks for your input!

>

> In our case, as in many others, I am sure, current level of income

is a problem to qualify for much assistance - this is a mixed

blessing, isn't it? Bob did receive disability until he was 65 - he

is now 66 (8 years my senior), so only receives his social security

benefit. I was very surprised that disability stopped - was

not " savvy " about the way this worked. At any rate, I may start

looking into a business from home. Fortunately, I work at UC Santa

Barbara which is only three or four minutes from our place.

>

> We are taking more frequent " short " trips (three day-weekends)

while we still can. Mainly to Cambria (San Simeon - Hearst Castle

area). We found a place we love to stay right on the ocean (we only

live about a half-mile from the ocean but can't SEE it from the

house!) I find Bob does better when he's completely relaxed - we

watch the sunsets, take beautiful drives, watch movies. Have you

found this to be true with relaxation?

>

> Thanks, again, each of you.

>

> Elaine Grimmesey

>

> >>> Werre <bwerre@s...> 01/04/01 02:46PM >>>

> Elaine,

>

> If Bob becomes too disabled there are some possible solutions.

Medicaid would take his benefits at some point and keep him in a

nursing home. The other would be to set up some sort of business at

home. My daughter works for a fairly large computer consulting firm

(37 employees) and works out of a home office. She does all their

accounting and benefits work. It pays very well, but here there are

tons of jobs like that. In fact, they hope to have 20% of the people

in this area working at least 2 days a week out of their home by

2005. Our roads and tranportation

> system are overloaded now.

>

> I was able to retire early on a buyout and Charlotte has SSDI. I

then worked for another 4 years part time. Since we still have a

mortgage, we are doing okay, but are not rich. Several people seem

to be struggling.

>

> There are other government programs depending on your salaries.

But we have a high enough income that we are not elgible. He will be

elgible for Medicre after 2 years under SSDI. That will help with

medical costs. They are talking about removing the two year wait for

Medicare.

>

> Take care, Bill and Charlotte

>

January 4, 2001

,

While we're on the subject of disability insurance, I forgot to

mention one important thing. Many plans give the employee the option

of paying the premium from pre-tax or after-tax dollars, or to have

the company pay the premium for them. I strongly recommend that the

employee pay the full premium and pay it from after-tax dollars.

That is the only way that the disability benefit is non-taxable.

Most policies pay 66% of the base salary. To have a tax bite out of

that reduces the benefit at a time that you need the money most.

Carol & Rob

> Greetings Carol!

>

> You noted:

>

> > I tell EVERYONE I know to be sure they have adequate

> > disability insurance. It's at least as important, if not more

> > so, than life insurance. ...

>

> Though I'm not using it yet, I always purchased Long Term

Disability (LTD)

> and far more life insurance than most of my peers. However, I

wanted to be

> certain that should anything happen, it would not ruin my family.

This was

> especially true since my wife does not work.

>

> Interestingly, some companies are now offering long term disability

> dependant care health insurance (or other words to that effect).

For

> example, if I need to go onto LTD, then once the short term

disability

> period ends, my wife and children would still be covered ...

without having

> to find private insurance.

>

> Just a thought for others that can still make adjustments.

>

> Regards,

> =jbf=

>

> B. Fisher

January 5, 2001

I'll bet you stayed in our favorite spot - the Cavalier (Best Western). It has

three tiers of rooms - one, regular motel-type rooms (but Room 126 is on a

corner with an ocean view!), a set of rooms with fireplaces and private patios

about 30 yards from the ocean, and ocean front rooms with fireplaces. There are

three large outdoor fireplaces where one can sit and watch the sunset - is this

where you stayed? I'd recommend it to anyone - can't beat the prices, esp. if

you get some type of discount - AAA, senior, etc. Thanks for sharing, and

spring is the most beautiful time up that way. Did you see Hearst's zebras

grazing it the foothills?

Elaine

>>> " and Marilyn " 01/04/01 05:41PM >>>